Thursday, October 9, 2008

Redbox - It seemed like a good idea at the time.

This photo was taken at the Birch Aquarium in La Jolla, California when Erik was 6 months old. Alright, so a little background on Erik and myself. We are wanna-be marine biologists. The local Aquarium: we have a season pass. The Planet Earth series: we own and love it. The favorite "chapters" from the series are anything to do with the ocean.

With that being said...A couple of weeks ago as I am standing in front of Redbox my eyes lit up when I saw one particular dvd rental title: Shark Week. I checked it out and brought the dvd home. That night after dinner we put the movie in. I was thinking it was going to follow the usual nature program model. Show a variety of sharks in their habitats from all over the world and how they are not man eating killers but docile (not quite friendly mind you) creatures. Throw in the segment how shark fin soup, pollution, and global warming threaten their survival. Top it off with commentary how you can make a difference (as a lone dorsal fin swims off into the sunset dodging its way between commercial fishing vessels).

Instead of the typical movie format, what I saw were the following chapter headings:Chapter 1- Shark Attack RescuersChapter 2- Shark Attack SurvivorsChapter 3- Anatomy of a Shark Bite

At that point I had 3 dead give aways that perhaps this wasn't the most appropriate viewing material for the three children ages six and under sitting on the couch with me. Despite that evening's hiccup, the last three books Erik has checked out from the school library have been about (you guessed it) sharks.